Just 4 days to go until the election and not a single piece of information from any of the candidates! Don't any of them want our votes?? You can get information about the elections, including statements from each of the candidates, from ... Continue reading →

Posted by Peter J Banks on Peter Banks - a new voice for Scott Ward

Simon Wright, MP for Norwich South, with Nick Hollinghurst Nick Hollinghurst is seen here at the recent East of England Liberal Democrat Conference in Cambridge with Simon Wright, Liberal Democrat MP for Norwich South. Simon is passionate about green issues and environmental matters dominate most of his time in Parliament. He is a member of the Environmental Audit Select Committee in Westminster and during this last year has been active on several inquiries into such issues as: sustainable food production; wildlife crime; protecting the Arctic; measures to strengthen and deepen the Green Economy. He also participated in the Rio+20 Sustainability ...

Posted by nickhollinghurst on Nick Hollinghurst

After all, it is wrong to tempt others when you can reasonably avoid doing so. And ITV, of which Mr. Crozier is the chief executive, has tempted Nadine Dorries away from serving the interests of her constituents in Mid Bedfordshire to take part in a freak show in the Australian jungle. In the current climate where resignation appears to be the answer to everything, I'm amazed that no-one has already called for his head!

Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 299th weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere ... Featuring the seven most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (4-10 November, 2012), together with a hand-picked quintet, normally courtesy of LibDig, you might otherwise have missed. Don't forget: you can sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox — just click here — ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging. As ever, let's start with the most popular post, and work our way down: 1. A Pompey Councillor ...

Posted by Helen Duffett on Liberal Democrat Voice
Sun 11th
21:14

On being booted

Well, my small but significant electorate have spoken (dammit!) and I am no longer on the federal policy committee for the Lib Dems. Since I am almost silent now, while I'm carrying out an independent review for the government, and I am a pretty loyal supporter of the party leader, I'm not terribly surprised. But I've been on the FPC now for fourteen years, so it will be a bit of a wrench coming to terms with not being there any more. But good luck to my heirs and successors, may they make brilliant, innovative policy (and may they ask ...

Posted by Barriers to Choice Review on The Real Blog

Regardless of a recent report, the fact is that we have ended Labour's antiquated policy, whereby children were locked up for indeterminate periods in horrible institutions. A recent report published on 23 October by HM Inspectorate of Prisons into the government's ... Continue reading →

Posted by Issan Ghazni on Issan Ghazni

Today is the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the day on which - ninety-four years ago - the armistice came into effect, thus ending the complex web of bloody conflict usually referred to as the First World War. Like many, I find the act of remembrance, observed each year, to be hugely significant. This is not simply as a matter of respect to the fallen, although I suppose on one level it is. More importantly, collective remembrance is vital if the legacy of the two World Wars and other conflicts that have followed is to be retained in the ...

Posted by Andrew on A Scottish Liberal

Note from the county council The process to renew free bus passes for disabled people countywide starts on 13th November. This has been brought forward from December. Residents will receive their reminders through the post during that week. They will be able to renew their passes using the new online system on Hertsdirect or using a paper form enclosed with their reminder. If residents do not receive a reminder in the post within two weeks they need not delay, they can complete their renewal online or pick up a form from their local library, district/borough council offices, tourist information offices ...

Posted by chriswhite on Chris White

What an entertaining show on Croydon Radio yesterday with the candidates running in the Croydon North byelection. You can listen again to the election special here. I cannot imagine more contrasting styles than UK Independence Party candidate ...

Posted by Lester Holloway on

The Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for South Wales West, Peter Black, has given his backing to Independent candidate, Mike Baker in Thursday's election for a Police and Crime Commissioner for the South Wales area. Mr. Black met Mr. Baker today at the remembrance march in Bridgend and was impressed with both his experience and commitment to the role. "The Welsh Liberal Democrats are not contesting this election because we believe that the Police should be above party politics," said Mr. Black. "My vote inevitably will therefore go to one of the independent candidates. "Mike Baker is a retired Police ...

Posted by Aberavon & Neath Liberal Democrats on Aberavon & Neath Liberal Democrats
YouGov

Quite a few from the US this time, but it's been a busy week there. Doing politics in plain sight – Written from a Labour perspective, but I think relevant to everyone. "We all talk about wanting politicians with some experience of life outside Westminster. That shouldn't be simply the first act of your life before giving oneself over to politics completely. All politicians should have the option of having a normal life outside of politics, and we need to look at how we change the way we do business to make that happen. If we don't we will only ...

Posted by Nick on What You Can Get Away With

At 7.53pm Martin Horwood 5th November (Lib Dem Cheltenham) spoke in the Government's Growth and Infrastructure Bill Column 663. Below is his thoughts on Osborne's daft suggestion on employees being asked to swap their employment rights for the illusion of ownership Then we come to the extraordinary clause 23. I proposed a policy on employee ownership and workplace democracy to this year's Liberal Democrat conference. I would strongly commend the contents of that and its many recommendations to Government, including the option to bid for employee ownership at the time of transfer of an undertaking, which we believe could result ...

Posted on birkdale focus

A round-up of stories we didn't have chance to cover on the site this week... Danny Alexander helps launch Ginger Rodent beer after redhead jibes (Metro) The new alcoholic beverage shares the same name as an insult once fired at him by Labour rival Harriet Harman at the Scottish Labour party conference in 2010. ... Ms Harman was forced to apologise for the controversial jibe at the time, while Mr Alexander responded with a message of his own on Twitter. 'I am proud to be ginger and rodents do valuable work cleaning up mess others leave behind,' he said. MP ...

Posted by Stephen Tall on Liberal Democrat Voice

The Greater London Assembly has produced some data into the profiles of each ward around London. Here is some of the information relating to Southfield ward which covers some of Acton and Chiswick... 2002 2012 Population 12,800 13,550 Children (aged 0-15) 1,950 2,600 Working Age (16-64) 9,550 9,550 Older People (Aged 65+) 1,300 1,350 Outside Turnham Green station Population breakdown (2011) Male 50% Male Children 20% Male Working Age 71% Male Older People 9% Female 50% Female Children 1400 19% Female Working Age 70% Female Older People 11% Number of Dwellings 6,171 Unauthorised Absence in All Schools 1% Mean house ...

Posted by Gary Malcolm on Councillor Gary Malcolm
Sun 11th
16:10

Getting my skates on

It is no surprise, and also no disappointment, that I will not be skating with the three times Women's Flat Track Derby Association champions in 2013. Aside from the skating I already do with them, that is, which is paying them money to be trained by the best, and that's nothing to sneeze at either. What with Weavesapalooza and moving home and superstorms and snow, I actually hadn't had skates on my feet for a couple of months before try-outs yesterday. It had managed to get to that point that my brain is wont to do, of persuading myself I ...

Posted by Debi on Thagomizer.net

Here is a manifesto of a PCC candidate. I have blanked out regional references and the candidates name. Please read it and see if you can determine political/independent bias. Then click link at end to see original: Key Points If ... Continue reading →

Posted by Robstick on Rob's View (from the sidelines)

Whew. Suddenly, after five relatively straightforward weeks, 6.00x has kicked up into a higher gear. I've just got to the end of this week's lectures, finger exercises and problem set and it's been far more taxing than anything, including the midterm exam, that preceded it. The main theme of the week has been an introduction to object-oriented programming, with various concepts (exceptions, classes, instances, inheritance and so on) being used for the first time. This is the part of the course, while not being totally new to me, is the part that I'm least familiar with. All of the 'production' ...

Sun 11th
15:42

Super soaraway hypocrisy

Today: Two years ago: Hattip @scolvey on Twitter

Posted by Mark Thompson on Mark Thompson

.....which I know is not going to be popular view, but I suspect the next week is going to showcase some not very attractive facets of the mob mentality that sometimes arises around these tv shows. Almost 10 years ago, Channel 4 had to get in extra security when Adele left Big Brother. Why? Because people thought that she had been a bit two faced and there was such over-the-top hatred towards her, fuelled by the tabloid press.Then they same papers fuelled hatred towards Jade Goody by depicting her as a pig, starting off the rollercoaster that saw them make ...

Posted by Caron Lindsay on Caron's Musings

Three words to the new FCC - Affordability, Accessibility and Availability.Several good people I know were unsuccessful in yesterday's Federal Committee Election results. For FCC in particular, the three people I wanted most in there were Robert Adamson, George Potter and Simon McGrath. Why? because they either have a record or stood on a platform of making Federal conferences more accessible to a variety of people and from personal experience, have the gusto to actually do something about it. Alas these people were not to be elected but I'm pleased to see quite a few capable and passionate people were ...

Posted by Greg Judge on The JUDGEment
eUKhost

On Monday I was sitting in the Market Tavern sipping a milky latte and gazing vaguely at my iPad. I'd been asked to write a piece for Lib Dem Focus and was finding it quite a challenge. As I struggled to simplify a tortuous phrase, Tony, a neighbour of mine thankfully joined me. We talked local politics and he asked whether I had finally decided whether to stand for council next year. I found myself replying with a curious mix of pride and caution that I found a little disconcerting. "Yes," I said. "I'm standing for the Lib Dems." He ...

Posted by Libby Local on Liberal Democrat Voice
Sun 11th
13:53

Sam Carter: Jack Hall

A weeks ago I turned on Jools Holland's Later to hear a song about a highwayman being hanged. That's real folk music. And this performance is reminiscent of a young Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick. Contemplations from the Marianas Trench tells the story of the song: In 1701 a chimney named Jack Hall was hanged for burglary. When a child Jack Hall had been sold to a chimney sweep for a guinea. According to Sharp the song was written before 1719 because there is reference to a tune "Chimney Sweep" which has the same metre as Jack Hall in a ...

Posted by Jonathan on Liberal England
Sun 11th
13:34

Birmingham Poppy

As a result of the efforts of the Deputy Lord Mayor there is now a special Birmingham Poppy (which I used to attach my more traditional poppy for the remembrance service today)

Posted by John Hemming on John Hemming's Web Log

Gateshead's "Get Carter" car park is to rise from the rubble, according to hr BBC. I think I'll reserve judgement rather than anticipate the blue skies, wide tree-filled pavement and lightly clad inhabitants of Gateshead's future. And I've been racking my brains to think where I last saw an "atrist's impression" like this .......

Posted by Owen Temple on Owen Temple

The following is much of a post I wrote last year. I thought it might be worth posting again today. The Remembrance Days I attended at school in Edinburgh in the 1970s left a big impression on me. First it was some of the teachers. Several had seen action. One, a French teacher who was hopeless at keeping order, had been at Arnhem and was a bone fide war hero. Another had been at Monte Cassino. One of the primary teachers had been imprisoned by the Japanese and bore the mental scars as a result. Another French teacher had taken ...

Posted by GHmltn on The view from the hills

I wrote last month that given how I had expressed my dissatisfaction with the process used by Unlock Democracy, the constitutional reform campaigning organisation, to elect members to its governing council the least I could do was to turn up at their AGM to support those who trying to do something about it. So yesterday I spent a more enjoyable day than expected at Unlock Democracy's AGM held at the NCVO HQ near King's Cross. While the debates on the motions were a bit scrappy, the atmosphere was friendly, the issues important, and the keynote speakers — we had contributions ...

Posted by Andy Strange on Strange Thoughts

The Guardian reports: Nick Clegg will announce the extension of the right to request flexible working hours to all employees this week. The deputy prime minister will say in a keynote speech that he wants to encourage a culture in which people feel confident to ask employers to change their working hours. The change will mean people will be able to ask their bosses for flexible hours if they wish to help others with childcare. Only those with children aged 17 and under, relatives and some carers currently have the right to request flexible hours. Clegg will say on Tuesday ...

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack

Whilst I am not religious and don't own a faith, there is something in tradition hymns which can really strike a chord with the human psyche. Having been brought up with many hymns (both mainstream and Brethren), these have stuck with me over the years. One particularly resonant example is "Abide With Me" - sung, of course, on the (former) terraces of Anfield and, today, in many Remembrance Day services up and down the country. Here is Emeli Sandé with a recording of the version she sung so electrically at the Olympic Opening Ceremony. Take a couple of minutes to ...

Posted by Andrew Brown on the widow's world

On Thursday afternoon, the Scottish Parliament debated the Scottish Government's Drugs Strategy, which has been in place since 2008. In general it was a pretty intelligent debate as you can see from the Official Report. The Government even accepted amendments from the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives, which passed. They would not, however, accept a Labour amendment after the opposition party has been supporting the Daily Record's campaign against methadone prescription. Because pharmacists who dispense methadone have extra costs in so doing, they get extra payments to help them with that. It's a maximum of £2.49 a prescription, so for Labour's ...

Posted by Caron Lindsay on Caron's Musings

 A local constituency for Local people!  Last night, whilst browsing the twittersphere contemplating an early night I chanced upon an exchange between activists about candidates backgrounds and where they grew up. This basically came down to criticising Tristan Osborne for living in a particularly nice area of Rochester, having well off parents, being privately educated but still playing the "my constituents" card and the poor vs. the rich position when discussing Chatham & Aylesford. (I'll come to that in a minute.) The return fire was basically stating that at least he'd been open about his background than the ...

Posted by Chris Sams on The Ginger Liberal from Medway

...or Ben Bradlee... [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post

Posted by Paul on Liberal Burblings
Sun 11th
12:31

Remembrance at Newbury

Soldiers old and young at the Remembrance parade in Newbury's Market Place this morning. As usual, it was very good to see serving service men and women there from Hermitage, and to hear the applause for all the former and serving service people at the end. [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post

Posted by Paul on Liberal Burblings

US has changed: George Bush Snr 1988: 60% of white vote, landslide victory. Romney 2012: 59% of white vote, defeat (ht @mashable) — Mark Pack (@markpack) November 8, 2012

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack

Local author Jane Wilson will be visiting her local library in Rock Road, Cambridge on 15th November to talk about her book, A Glimpse of Eternal Snows. Jane describes writing A Glimpse of Eternal Snows as "a long, long labour of love". This memoir describes the years Jane and her family spent on an island in the middle of the largest tributary of the Ganges, their Himalayan treks and their emotional highs and lows. It will be illustrated with slides and the talk helps launch a new global edition of the book. 8 - 9.30 p.m., 15th November Rock Road ...

Posted by Amanda Taylor on Amanda Taylor

Another week, another day's news headlines dominated by the media talking about itself... though this time with some legitimacy, as it's not every day the Director-General of the BBC resigns within two months of being appointed to the post. George Entwistle and the BBC's Catch-22 problem The BBC Director-General is editor-in-chief of the organisation, ultimately responsible for all content. The DG must also lead an organisation with 23,000 employees, a £4.8bn budget and multiple TV, radio and online outlets. I think it's fair to say those are two tricky jobs to combine. What is vital then is that the man ...

Posted by Stephen Tall on Liberal Democrat Voice
Sun 11th
12:00

Smuggling USB Sticks

"This Is Not A Film" by Iranian director Jafar Panahi, who is under house arrest in his country for alleged "propaganda against the regime," will be screened under the Free Jafar Panahi Program of the 13th Cinemanila. The film was smuggled from Iran in a Flash-Drive hidden inside a cake to Cannes for screening a few months back. Manila Bulletin [IMG: microSD Card] This is a microSD card. Currently on sale in the UK for under £14. It can hold 32GB of information. That's a little abstract, so let me break it down in to more understandable units. 32GB is, ...

Posted by Terence Eden on Terence Eden has a Blog

I very much welcome Maria Miller's commitment to protecting churches who choose not to marry same-sex couples. It is right that we protect religious freedom. "To make sure there is no element of doubt, we would be legislating to protect the rights of religious institutions to continue to have freedom on this matter." But is she really dedicated to religious freedom? Given the proposals remain only about "civil marriage" (a novel legal concept I understand) doesn't she feel the proposals themselves aren't supportive of religious freedom? How can we say it is right that LGBT friendly religious groups be banned ...

Posted on Neue Politik

It was interesting to read that a group of local Quakers may spoil their ballot papers for the PCC elections The headline for the article was 'Quakers angry over police poll' which is hard to believe considering that they are pacifists and lovers of peace and this includes the absence of anger. However I couldn't find fault with the article itself. As I write this blog the commemorations at the Cenotaph are just finishing and I noticed that Quakers were not represented. They probably think about war much more than the rest of us and they certainly made today's ...

Posted by Michael Gradwell on Politics for Novices

This heartwarming (yes really) zombie comedy has some real laugh-out-loud moments, some heavy gore, and a real soft cockney heart. Love a duck. The basic plot of the movie is that an Evil Multinational Corporation has bought a load of land in the East End, including the land on which stands the Bow Bells old folks home. One of the residents is a gentleman with grandchildren in their twenties, whom he brought up when their parents died. The boys are dimwitted but goodhearted, and want to pay their grandad back by saving the old folks home for him and his ...

Late last night I read something on Facebook, written by a friend, which brought home the realities of war. I can't share it here, because it's not my story to tell, but it was both moving and inspiring. Many of you will know what I'm talking about, though. Armed combat is unimaginably brutal and horrific and nobody who takes part in it is unaffected. I can only imagine the pain of watching someone I love set off for war, not knowing whether I would ever see them again, yet nearly everybody did in the world wars. Most of us really ...

Posted by Caron Lindsay on Caron's Musings

The big lesson from the US election is not a new one, but a very old one - Andrew Rawnsley Debunking Two Nate Silver Myths | Good Math, Bad Math So much the "liberal bias" in the US media. If anything the polls were biased in favour of the GOP: Doing politics in plain sight | Shifting Grounds - Excellent piece on how politicians need to speak in plainer language from Emma Burnell Excellent take down of The Daily Mail by Martin Robbins - From recent The Pod Delusion 3rd birthday party bash that I sadly couldn't attend in the ...

Posted by Mark Thompson on Mark Thompson

For today, Sullivan Ballou's letter to his wife, written just before the First Battle of Bull Run.

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children, England mourns for her dead across the sea. Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit, Fallen in the cause of the free. Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres. There is music in the midst of desolation And a glory that shines upon our tears. They went with songs to the battle, they were young, Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow. They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted, They fell with their faces to the foe. They ...

Posted on Neue Politik

George Entwistle has, rightly, resigned for the combination of the Newsnight blunders and his own failure to show good leadership in public. (His final Radio 4 Today program interview will, I'm sure, feature in many future training sessions on how not to handle a crisis and indeed how not to ignore social media.) But of course Newsnight isn't the only TV show to have got things badly wrong. So where's the responsibility being taken by managers at ITV for the Phillip Schofield incident? Even without the disastrously misjudged camera angle, it would have been a badly-judged stunt, treating highly speculative ...

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack

For the uninitiated, bourach is a Scots word which means a right old mess, which I think is a fair term to describe what's been going on at the BBC. However, I'm not so sure it deserves quite as much opprobrium as is being currently heaped upon it. Ok, the Newsnight team screwed up, big time and exruciatingly, not once but twice. They had plenty evidence about one active paedophile the BBC employed and they didn't broadcast it. They left it to another channel, ITV, to break the Jimmy Savile story almost a year later. Newsnight got a pasting for ...

Posted by Caron Lindsay on Caron's Musings
Sun 11th
09:19

Taking responsibility

I think everybody was shocked last night at the decision of BBC Director General, George Entwhistle to resign over the botched Newsnight handling of sex abuse allegations. Mr. Entwhistle went despite the fact that he apparently had little or no knowledge of the Newsnight investigation or of the fact that the programme was to apologise for wrongfully implicating a senior Tory in the affair. It was the correct and honourable thing to do and his decision may have wider repercussions for other senior figures in the BBC, including its chair who, being a former politician, will not be used to ...

Posted by Peter Black on Peter Black

A video message from the Deputy Prime Minister to mark Remembrance Day 2012: * Mark Pack has written 101 Ways To Win An Election and produces a monthly newsletter about the Liberal Democrats.

Posted by Mark Pack on Liberal Democrat Voice
Sun 11th
09:00

Green Dale changes

Southwark Council directly and indirectly are planning some big changes to the incredibly popular Green Dale cycle and walking route. Cycling alone in the 4 months April to August has seen a total of 39,287 cyclists using this route. That implies over 100,000 cycle movements along this route a year. The changes at the northern end to reduce car blocking with Champion Hill and at the southern end removing excessive bollards and planting look good. The middle section, Wanley Road junction, sees a hedges usefully cut back to increase safety with further changes of adding bollards which looks daft and ...

Posted by James Barber on James Barber

Why women don't last in male-dominated jobs (tags: ) Federal Committee Election results 2012 | The Liberal Democrats: Latest News Detail Congrats to all those elected. That's as much as I can bring myself to say at the moment, aside from the fact that clearly a LOT of people who voted did so on the basis of name recognition rather than the merit of the candidates' platforms... (tags: ) Precisely why the Daily Mail is irredeemable shit (tags: ) Liberal Democrats Have Internal Elections, But No Internal Democracy (tags: ) Workfare providers - an ongoing list of those who use ...

Sun 11th
08:43

Labour out of race

As the Police and Crime Commissioner election day approaches, local residents are asking the question – who will really stand up for our area and keep us safe? The choice for local people is between the hardworking experienced Lib Dem David Goodall, and the Conservative candidate with links to a jailed £29 million fraudster. Labour and UKIP came a distant third and fourth place last time and can't win in our area. The Liberal Democrats have a proven record of action for local people, from working to reduce anti-social behaviour, getting road safety improvements, and fighting for local services. In ...

Posted by lengates on Len Gates
Sun 11th
08:28

Watching Paint Dry...

Thanks for visiting... I have been for the last few weeks working on the PCC elections. Everything I have posted seems to be ignored, by everyone except those associated with the process, or those that have suddenly realised they don't ... Continue reading →

Posted by Robstick on Rob's View (from the sidelines)

It's Sunday morning, so here are twelve thought-provoking articles to stimulate your thinking juices... Labour's return to the right – John Kampfner's spot-on piece should be compulsory reading for progressives who've deserted the Lib Dems for Labour: 'The race to the bottom is on. Labour and the Tories are vying for the lowest common denominator, for the title of defender of Little England.' David Cameron, Phillip Schofield and mob justice in the age of the internet – the Telegraph's Tom Chivers points a pitch-fork at the mob: 'I'm trying to come up with a cleverer and more meaningful conclusion than ...

Posted by Stephen Tall on Liberal Democrat Voice
Sun 11th
08:00

For Remembrance Sunday

 

Posted by Jonathan on Liberal England

A higher resolution copy of this poster can be downloaded here.

Sun 11th
00:01

Lest we forget